Question of the Week
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How can I deal with all these weeds coming up?
I know it can be tempting to use a weed and feed fertilizer. Don't do it! For one thing, the time to weed and the time to feed are completely different. Fertilize now and you'll really get some healthy weeds! The excess ends up in our creeks and waterways. On top of that, the herbicides in these mixed products can be very harmful to trees and shrubs.
The best time to prevent spring weeds is in September. To control late spring and summer weeds, we're looking at controls in February. If you were going to put a pre-emergent down, you'd want to choose a product for the particular weeds you have and apply it correctly and water it in. But the timing for these later season germinations is very complicated. The safest thing to do is hand pull as many as you can, and keep them mowed down before seeds set.
Honestly, the best way to control weeds is to grow a good strong turf (and mulch your flower beds). The denser the turf, the more it excludes sunlight from hitting the ground and your weed problems go away. I've talked to many people, who after a season or two of good turf care, find that the big weed problem is now gone. Do what you can to get the weeds out now; then this spring and summer, focus on developing a healthy strong environment that shades out weed seeds.
Taking the trouble this year will save you repeating this cycle again and again every spring.
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